{QTtext}{timescale:100}{size:16}{font:Arial}{backColor:0,0,0}
{textColor:65535,65535,65535}{width:320}{height:100}{justify:left}
[00:00:01]
September Mars Rover Report
[00:00:06]
Hi, I'm Scott Maxwell, and this is your rover report.
[00:00:10]
I'm the rover driver team lead for Spirit and Opportunity and I'm here today to fill you in on what our intrepid rovers have been up to lately.
[00:00:17]
As of today, both rovers have been operating on Mars for more than 1,600 Martian days. Both rovers continue to operate and to do science from the Martian surface.
[00:00:27]
Opportunity is moving up in the world; She's back up on higher ground after a safe exit from Victoria Crater.
[00:00:32]
Opportunity spent nearly a full Earth year exploring the inside of Victoria crater, in the process returning spectacular and unprecedented views into the Martian past.
[00:00:42]
But after seeing a one time spike on Opportunity's left-front wheel, the team decided it would be safest to wrap-up science operation inside the crater
[00:00:50]
and return to flat ground on the outside, as soon as possible.
[00:00:54]
In order to accomplish this important goal, the team worked on "Mars time," setting our Earthbound work schedules to match the slightly longer Martian day.
[00:01:02]
Even though this meant working well past midnight, it was the way we could make the most progress in the shortest time.
[00:01:08]
Despite the rapid pace set for exiting the crater, Opportunity found time for an activity most of us associate with lazy Sundays -- watching the clouds go by.
[00:01:17]
Meanwhile, on the other side of Mars, at Gusev Crater, Spirit is riding out a very tough winter.
[00:01:22]
She's waiting for power levels to rise high enough that she can resume exploring actively.
[00:01:27]
In order to survive the winter she had to park on a north-facing slope at a very steep tilt to aim her solar panels more directly at the sun.
[00:01:34]
Now this image shows the extreme northerly tilt that Spirit had to achieve in order to safely survive this winter.
[00:01:40]
The team is keeping a very careful eye on the weather near Spirit's location, watching for any rise in atmospheric dust that might foretell a corresponding drop in her power levels. [00:01:48]
But so far, we haven't seen anything to worry about.
[00:01:52]
Spirit made time recently to perform the interplanetary equivalent of synchronizing your watches.
[00:01:56]
She sent an electronic beep tone back to Earth at a specified time, and we watched for the arrival time of that signal in order to set our Earth clocks to match hers.
[00:02:05]
I'm Scott Maxwell, and this has been your rover report.
[00:02:08]
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
[00:02:12]